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What are some things you wish you had known about feeding your baby? Did you get any instruction in how to feed your newborns from the hospital? Was it helpful, overwhelming, unnecessary? Did you have any feeding problems? Did you even know that babies can have problems with feeding?

I'm just starting this process so I'd just like to hear your thoughts so I have some direction. If people feel they had the early feeding stuff down pat, but were more overwhelmed with starting solids then discuss that! Those questions were just starting points-I'm just interested to hear any and all thoughts about your feeding experiences. Thanks!

There was a lady who was supposed to come teach me. She was entirely overwhelming, wouldn't leave me alone, wore me out so much that I sent the baby back to the nursery so I could try to sleep, which made my doctor worry that I was depressed because I wasn't playing with him.

They asked me, as they do before delivery, if I wanted to breast feed. I said, "I'd like to try." This was apparently interpreted as, "I must nurse or the world is going to end."

I was not getting it, he was not getting it, the longer it took, the more she harped on my needing to get it. Never once was I allowed to rest, given the option to feed formula and try again later. Finally, my husband had to run her out of the room.

I wish I had known more about any parenting classes in advance of the birth...not that I would have had time anyway, but other than lamaze and the hospital tour, I didn't know about any.

I wish they had double checked with me how gung-ho I was about nursing, because not being married to the idea, they managed to run me off in the end.

"In the beginning, the universe was created. This made a lot of people angry and has widely been considered as a bad move." -Douglas Adams

I too was supposed to have someone come in an teach me....only they never did. There I was, just delivered a baby, and I was bleeding out. The nurse rips open my gown at the shoulder and shoves my son onto my breast, saying "often the baby suckling will cause your uterus to stop contracting and the bleeding will stop." Gee, thanks for that lovely introduction to nursing!

I completely agree with Gypsy - I wish I had known there were other classes besides birth/hospital tour. I was complete unprepared and not to gung-ho on the idea that something that so sexually defined me would all of a sudden be a food source.

My son and I did ok when we went home, but then my milk really came in and there was no way I could get him to latch on. I wish I'd had more resources to stick it out, but at that point I gave up. I just pumped and fed him from the bottle. It wasn't perfect, but at least he got the breast milk for 6 weeks or so.

“Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of Solitaire. It is a grand passion.” ~Emerson

I had some problems in the beginning with breastfeeding, and the hospital LCs were not much help - they got things going fine in the hospital but I didn't really learn how to get it right on my own, so the first six weeks were horrible. In hindsight wish I'd called an IBCLC for in home help. Now I tell people having early problems it's absolutely worth the money. It's a totally new skill, like learning dressage after a lifetime of riding hunters - calling a trainer for that is a no-brainer, you'd think I'd have made the connection. I also have heard of a lot of women having trouble because the babies had tongue ties, and doctors not diagnosing it or treating it properly.

Starting solids was stressful - the doctor recommended we start way earlier than I felt was appropriate (4 months) based on all my research (which said no solids till 6 months), and he wasn't super interested in solids until about 10 months. but there was a lot of pressure to make him eat - daycare telling me to bring cereal, more food, etc, lots of people commenting on his small size, etc. It's really hard to let kiddo develop that at his own pace in the face of that. I had people telling me he had "eating problems" even though other information I had indicated he didn't actually require solids until 12 months (and now he eats like a horse, so apparently no problem!).

The nurse rips open my gown at the shoulder and shoves my son onto my breast, saying "often the baby suckling will cause your uterus to stop contracting and the bleeding will stop." Gee, thanks for that lovely introduction to nursing!

She was an idiot (derp, suckling causes floods of oxytocin. Which CAUSES contractions. Wonder where she went to nursing school?). Stuff like this makes me so mad, it seems like so many people have problems because of bad support/dumbness in the hospital.

The lactation consultant was off when I had DS1. In recovery from my c section they laid him on my chest and started stuffing my boob in his mouth. Handling it herself and being so forceful it felt like she would smother him. I just had a 12 hour labor then a C because his cord was wrapped and up behind him. I was stressed but more than that he was really stressed. I finally snapped at her that he needed a break. He did. He then nursed fine with a shield but once my milk really came in I had way too much and way too fast of a let down. He would throw up a lot (like all of it) after each feeding so I pumped for 6.5 months until my milk supply dropped to almost nothing while preg w DS2.

DS2 went way better. Lactation consultant was there and she was wonderful. He is 4 months I still use a shield with him. He takes bottles easily as well. The one thing I wish they addressed was nursing strikes and diet. I look everything up but it is kind of scary when your kid will only nurse for a minute or two then pull off for a day or two and you worry about how hungry he must be.

I had an LC come help me with DD and she was great, but it was still pretty overwhelming. The first month I hit every single road block you could think of! We kept keeping on though, since it was important to me to give it a shot.

She weaned at 10 months (ish) and I think that we had a good run!

What I REALLY wish was that I'd made DH take Bradley method classes... he was the most unhelpful person. Ever!

Not guilt-tripping women for not breastfeeding would be where I'd start. Especially if you are male. Male friend going on and on about how "every woman can breastfeed" induced a meltdown in another friend who had a severe post-partum hemorrhage and then was not able to breastfeed because of having had breast reduction surgery.

The prenatal class my hospital offers includes some of what to expect with a newborn so I'm considering meeting with the instructor and seeing if I could join her for one of her classes each session to go over some tips/trouble shooting to reduce the stress. I'm not a LC, but can offer methods to improve latch, how to select the correct bottle nipple size, etc.

I just had my first and was supposed to get instruction from a nurse/LC, but things were crazy busy and he wasn't having any obvious problems eating so they never came back. I did get asked if there were any problems, but I didn't know what consisted of a problem so I always said no. I just went to a seminar on pediatric feeding because I'd like to expand my offerings for therapy-wow was it eye opening! I breast feed when I can, but pump now that I'm back at work. We're about to start introducing textures/solids (DS is 4 months now) so I have an at home tester before I go out and offer tips for therapy.

My goal is to offer some simple tips that can apply to a wide variety of moms/babies, try to check in with new moms while they're in the hospital to offer some support, and just increase the education about what a normal feeding looks like. I definitely do not want to overwhelm or add stress! Keep the stories/questions/experiences coming-I really appreciate it!

I had an LC come help me with DD and she was great, but it was still pretty overwhelming. The first month I hit every single road block you could think of! We kept keeping on though, since it was important to me to give it a shot.

She weaned at 10 months (ish) and I think that we had a good run!

What I REALLY wish was that I'd made DH take Bradley method classes... he was the most unhelpful person. Ever!

Bradley can only help those who wish to be helped. I was in labor for 43 hours...my husband still remembers what I said to him when he started complaining that his back hurt.

Not a mom but I know a lot of young moms. I think one of the biggest things they need to hear is that there is not a singular best way to feed. Breastfeeding is wonderful and can be a great experience for some women but it can be really challenging and some people are not interested in or cannot for any number of reasons. I think any educational packet should emphasize the importance of making feeding choices that are right for the individual.

I personally find educational packets most helpful when they provide further resources. I cannot learn everything about a topic from a single packet but if the packets contains recommended websites, books, local professionals, etc. then I feel armed with resources to make an educated decision.

If I was a mom in the hospital I would want a packet to give me the names of good books on feeding (breastfeeding and bottle feeding), reputable websites, contact information for support groups, names of recommended professionals in the area, etc. I would also want a packet that defined terms a LC or doctor might use when discussing my babies health or feeding.

I would have liked a complete and full description of tongue tie, and there needs to be more information about D-MER and what it is because that was really the main issue.

Originally Posted by sparky6

Did you get any instruction in how to feed your newborns from the hospital?

About 15 minutes worth, although I see they billed for much more than that. When I asked to see the LC again, I was told she was very busy and left with a baby I couldn't feed (even though my milk had come in with a vengeance, one nurse said she'd never seen that much colostrum pumped before).

Originally Posted by sparky6

Was it helpful, overwhelming, unnecessary?

It was hurried, squeezed into a ten minute slot, and completely ineffective. We went home disillusioned and with all of the formula samples we could lay our hands on.

Originally Posted by sparky6

Did you have any feeding problems? Did you even know that babies can have problems with feeding?

My son had a posterior tongue tie. We discovered this after hiring a private LC -- the author of the LLL manual on breast feeding, in fact (she autographed my copy). She sent us to an ENT specialist, where the tie was removed. I have a photo of me feeding my son properly for the first time in her clinic.

Unfortunately it wasn't his problems with feeding, it was mine that ended the party. Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex is not a fun experience and I stopped breast feeding and continued exclusive pumping for a while, but even that stopped after a while. I had a few days where my supply was nil and I could never really get it back up. Looking back, I was under a lot of stress -- my DH had just been laid off and I continued working with no leave. I bet if I had managed that better, that wouldn't have happened.

We had no trouble starting solids; I was interested in baby-led weaning and when my four-month-old made a grab for daddy's burger, we decided it was time! He's always been a great solid food eater, that was a piece of cake by comparison.

The hospital knew up front that I would not be breastfeeding, and the nurses were lovely and understanding and very helpful with teaching me how and how much formula to feed the girls (I had twins, and I was on meds that transmitted to breast milk. Plus, the Pediatrician felt that with twins and with how small I am, I would have had a kid on my boob and a fork in my mouth 24/7) and were not in any way judgmental about my choice to formula feed. I did get a lot of flak from other people though, especially one self proclaimed nipple nazi who said that I had no excuse not to breastfeed and basically that I was selfish and vain. I told her about what my doc said and about my medication, but she said that since my meds were not in her "book" that they should be fine. The book came out before my meds.

Anyway, I think that women should not be made to feel bad about whatever choice they make and shouldn't be guilted into breastfeeding.

If I was a mom in the hospital I would want a packet to give me the names of good books on feeding (breastfeeding and bottle feeding), reputable websites, contact information for support groups, names of recommended professionals in the area, etc. I would also want a packet that defined terms a LC or doctor might use when discussing my babies health or feeding.

Websites and support groups are super important. I survived the hell weeks only because I found kellymom.com and Jack Newman's site with all the videos. I seriously do not know if I'd have made it otherwise, because I got bad advice from the pediatrician about things too (I think women need to be aware most pediatricians and doctors get very little education on breastfeeding. LCs and other mothers are SUPER important resources. I was told the exact wrong way to handle cluster feeding, "timing" feeds, oversupply, etc. Which I would not have known if it weren't for the interwebz and being able to connect with more experienced mothers. I'm convinced a lot of women who WANT to breastfeed "fail" because they get bad information. A good site women should know about before they have their babies is bestforbabes.org. They need to read the "booby traps" series because it really prepares you for the obstacles you're likely to encounter).

Bradley can only help those who wish to be helped. I was in labor for 43 hours...my husband still remembers what I said to him when he started complaining that his back hurt.

I think that he just didn't know what to do, and I wasn't really up for giving orders!I remember at one point, I was in the shower (back labor... that was the ONLY place I was comfortable) and he sat outside on the floor and played Angry Birds on his phone. I snatched it and chucked it in the toilet.

Your hubby is VERY lucky to still be alive, with all the important bits in place!

Nursed all 3 kids for nearly 1 year, LC @ hospital was mother of HS friend so helped a lot with 1st and it was needed cause Mom & Grandma didnt nurse. Milk came in hard/fast with 1st but not so much after, I guess my body figured it out. I remember my nippels being really sore (TMI sorry) but only for a week or so. Babies all knew what to do so no problems there.

I didnt know about the soreness before I had it but it was all worth it.

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” Peter Drucker

I think one of the principles of Attachment Parenting is to "Feed with Love". I love this phrase because it really just means that it's a personal decision and your love and bond with baby is what matters most. As a stay at home mom, I felt that I HAD to BF exclusively because I had no "excuse" not to. I sought out an LC/post partum doula who helped me with different issues for both my kids. Basically I would want to know from a pamphlet- the health benefits of breast feeding to both mom and baby, and that there is a solution for almost every issue if you want to put the work in- low supply, poor latch, etc. You CAN work through those issues. However, if it stops feeling like a loving situation and becomes resentful then it's better to find another solution.
I don't think this would be appropriate for a pamphlet but I will say that i swear nursing has taken all the baby weight and then some. I'm the skinniest I've ever been, never diet, and only ride for exercise. I'm still nursing a one year old though.

Also- perhaps a list of resources like local LCs, or natural type kid stores in your area with support groups etc would be a nice thing to include. There are lots of things like that in my area but not everyone knows about them.
Maybe also include a list of some nursing supply products and where to buy them like a Boppy pillow, medela breast pumps and accessories, lansinoh soothies, nipple shields, nipple creams, nursing covers, mothers milk supplements etc. maybe if people buy all the supplies in advance they'll feel more committed and prepared.